Kemi Badenoch warns UK could become nation of ‘little ghettos’ if migrants fail to integrate as she demands fightback

10 comments 10 Next KEMI Badenoch yesterday warned that Britain would become a nation of “little ghettos” if migrants failed to embrace the culture. The Tory leader demanded a fightback against the spread of what she called “separatist communities”, where foreigners shunned UK traditions. 4 Kemi Badenoch warned that Britain would become a nation of ‘little ghettos’ if migrants failed to embrace the culture Credit: Simon Jones 4 Kemi with her husband Hamish Credit: Getty Advertisement Opening her party’s conference in Birmingham, she called on Britons to defend our way of life, declaring: “I don’t want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom.” Mrs Badenoch kicked off the party’s annual get-together with a promise to rebuild Britain in the same way Margaret Thatcher did after taking power in 1979. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. She used her opening speech to launch The Right Way, an 80-page blueprint setting out principles she wants to take into government. During an on-stage Q&A, she said citizenship was often treated as little more than a passport. Read More on Politics ON ME THREAD Tories' spoof version of Bayeux Tapestry honours Sun scoops as it mocks Labour BITTER, KEIR? Starmer drowns sorrows & Reeves laughs with vaping aides as they hit pub Mrs Badenoch said: “This is our home. It is not a dormitory. It is not a hotel. Even if people come here just to work, they need to respect our culture. They need to respect our values.” She argued Britain was traditionally a high-trust society, where people accepted responsibilities towards strangers and expected others to play by the same rules. But she warned national bonds started to break down when people believed others were exploiting the system or refusing to buy into the country they had joined. She wants a high-trust country, which, she said, meant “the people coming into our country need to join the country and they need to sign up to that deal”. Advertisement Most read in The Sun PAWFECT GIFTS Beauty brand launches luxury dog range from £40 perfume to £80 wellness pack 'COWARD' 'Petrified' Deliveroo rapist refuses to leave his cell over fears of reprisals VISA PLEA Mahmood says foreign worker visas are being requested each week to plug shortages THE SUN SAYS Kemi needs to make voters like the party as they take on issues worrying them Mrs Badenoch stressed it was not about race, as Britain never had race-based citizenship. Instead, she said the country needed one shared culture binding people from different backgrounds. And she warned protecting it should not simply be left to ministers, adding: “It isn’t just the Government’s job. There seems to be a belief it is the Government’s job to do everything, and the Government will put out an integration white paper, and that will fix it. What we actually need is individuals taking it upon themselves to guard the thing we know is sacred.” She hailed the stand taken by Katharine Birbalsingh , head of Michaela Community School in Wembley Park, North London. It successfully fought a legal challenge to its ban on prayer rituals after a Muslim pupil took the policy to the High Court . Advertisement Mrs Badenoch said: “That is what we need to see — not just teachers, but doctors, everyone in society. If you are waiting for a government minister to step in each time we have these problems, we’re never going to fix them.” Her intervention is part of a wider attempt to convince voters the Tories have learned the lessons from their recent 14 years in power. She insisted the Conservatives had changed since their crushing 2024 election defeat but rejected claims that pledges to slash benefits and build tens of thousands more prison places marked a return of the so-called nasty party. 4 Mrs Badenoch said: ‘This is our home. It is not a dormitory. It is not a hotel. Even if people come here just to work, they need to respect our culture’ Credit: PA 4 The Tory leader branded Burnham the ‘cheesy uncle’ who cracks dad jokes Credit: Getty Advertisement She told the BBC : “It’s the commonsense party. That’s what we’re doing. And, quite frankly, if we were doing so well the old way, then why did we have such a terrible issue in 2024?” Having previously dubbed Reform UK boss Nigel Farage a “grumpy grandpa”, she branded Prime Minister Andy Burnham the “cheesy uncle” who cracks dad jokes. Asked where that left her, she replied: “They probably see me, you know, as the no-nonsense mum. No nonsense — that’s probably me.” The Tories are polling third behind Labour and Reform but Mrs Badenoch has seen her personal ratings improve in the past year. A mega-poll last month showed the Tories would take 130 seats — up from 118. Advertisement Mrs Badenoch’s ghettos comments came as it was revealed migrants were bedding down around the £1,000-a-night five-star The Connaught hotel in London’s swanky Mayfair. A worker said: “This is one of the most expensive and exclusive areas of the country if not the whole of Europe and yet you now have people sleeping in doorways. RECOMMENDED STORIES “It seems unreal. I cannot believe they have been allowed to set up here and simply stay.” Pledge on triple lock for pension By Ryan Sab ey PENSIONERS will keep the state pension triple lock under the Tories, Kemi Badenoch has said. The party leader rejected Andy Burnham’s plan to scrap the mechanism to help pay for his social care plan. Around 12million OAPs currently see their state pension rise by the rate of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent — whichever is highest. Under the PM’s plan, this will end in 2030, when state pensions will increase at the same rate as prices or 2.5 per cent. Ms Badenoch told the BBC: “Good people on all sides have arguments about the triple lock, but our policy is to keep it. “The reason why is because what is going wrong in our economy is not lots of elderly people earning £12,000 a year on the state pension. “It is the huge number of people who can work but don’t. “In 2010, when the Conservative coalition started, what we saw was a lot of pensioner poverty. “The triple lock was brought in to fix that.” Speaking at his party conference last week, Mr Burnham said: “I won’t pretend this won’t be difficult. I accept I may pay a political price.” The PM claims ditching the triple lock will save £15billion a year by 2040 and help pay for his National Care Service. Wicked whispers KEMI Badenoch was so impressed with an M&S outfit at the recent London Fashion Week she bought it to wear for her arrival at conference. Jokers among her aides dubbed it Kem&S. BIRMINGHAM hosted two tribes at the weekend. Fantasy gamers met to celebrate RuneScape over the road from the Tories. One conference was full of weirdos and misfits and the other . . . SURVIVING a party conference means staying fed and hydrated. So Tory spinners handed journalists Nigel Farage chocolate bitcoins and Bottler Burnham water — zero per cent strength. THE Tory conference Press room is huge — allowing hacks to spread out and drink free coffee. But the party banished our pals at the fiercely pro-Labour Daily Mirror to a naughty corner. 10 comments 10